Wheel for motor vehicles



"Eline 12, 1923.

J. B. RUATTI WHEEL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Feb. s. 1922 Patented June 12, l1923..I

L Josnrrr 'n. nnn'rrnfon Los'nNeEi-ins,onnironmnf* i 'jl t Wn'EEL nonMoronfvnmonnsbf? i V"npplieaiim meerebruary 3,4522., ssriai No; 533,369.1 i

i Touallrtvrwm concern.; I

the unes I2 2 a Be it knownthat'; JoSn'PHB. Rimani, a citizen ofrAustria, ,residing at -Los f Angeles,

` in thereounty Aof LosAngeles and. Statepf California, Yhave* invented new-and luseful Improvements in Wheels for Motor Vehicles, i

of which the following is 'a specification.

`My invention relates to resilienowheels orvehicles, and a purpose ofv-my invention is theprovision ofv a resilientV Wheelwhich eliminates the use of `pneumatic tiresfand which 'operates to effectively prevent the transmission of shocks andl vibrations of the wheel-tothe axle of a'vehiole.- v

I will describeone form of resilientqwheel embodying my inventionv and will then point out the novelfeatnres thereof'inelaiinsp InA the accompanying drawings',`

"Figure 1 is a'view showing in side'elevas.

.fled .'Olm Of-piston and eylindei'imit;

Fig, 5 is a longitudinal Sectional AView taken on vthe line 5-'5 of Figyt', :FigS` 6 and `Theme views, similar 'to Showing other f ormspf cylinder, andiipistop vunits, embodying my inventiOn? y f `la`r parts in eaohoffthe several'view's'. l K

Referringspeoiioally. to the drawings my ,inventcirnv in' `its present' embodiment, p 9pmprises a wheel' rrnlR in! which." .siseateda Similar reference 'characters refer to siriii-` solid 'treff'and extending inwardly 'from and formed .intgral ,with `the rim iS aKClSCD, while] at theoppostesideof the wheel ianother disc. D( is seured to the rmhy ymeans of screws 15." ,The disesl D "and D are formedv axially Withoelin'g' in .which isfar- 'ranged ehub Portieri with this hub portion'is :a holiowjoasingl and ,farmed integrati slidably fittedl between the ,dises D and gD and formed with transverse openings 1 6 `thllgh `ivllh bolts ,17. 'extend for` Seon'ring the discs to eachother in Such manner este slidably receive thetoasing By're'ferenoe vto Fig.' l', it will beseenfthat the openings. 16

aetsuicently large t0 119W Ofi-delimited nera movements .the bolts. ,1i fdr there pose of permittingarestrited movement'of the discs andoonsequently the rim. with respect to the hub portion -d 3&3, respectivelyfof in Whiohair under pressure is adapted-to be storedk and introduced through a viilvestem `18 (Fig. 2). As shown'in Figs.y land` 2, .thisfoasingKisprovided with 'radial eXtenn i i sionsvvlQ; havingdnots 2O provided,thereiny Y yand through which air frornthefreservoirfs and cylinder adapted t -to @pass into, ypiston unitsdesignated generally at N.

f As shown iny Figui, eachv unitN oornprisesg. y a tubular member 21 .which is benttez-pro; i

videan'gularly disposedcylinderswith eaoh cylinder `slidably receiyng a plunger oripiS- ton l.22 lprovided With theneeessary packing voli' y Y CO Fender it responsive to the aotion ofthe v f air from the'reservoir-KL The-koonfonting ends of the pistons are formed .,Withproje'o'.'

tions 23 designed toA formseatsyfor the'oppo'- site ends 'of an eXpansible,-spning; 24which 75 y Y 'Serves to normally urge thefpistons tofthe Y outer endsofthecylnders, aswill be understood-. Theaouterendsof 'the pistons are;

formed `with .recesses f 25 Sadapted *tof receive lugs 26 formed onarms27whioh operate to.

movefthe-piston inwardlyfof'the cylinders against the .cushioning lfaction of thelsprings yandV air." The arms 27 .arearranged lnjpai'rs f with' each pair. disposed "between:'theoon'-` l frontingI endso thexfpistonA 4and"cylinder l units', -and the j y'confronting edges thereo-fv-" 'y kformedffwth*'o-ppositely 'inclined' Cani'-"siir- 1" faces 27 and 427h-whichengage with a'roller vThe bolts 29fare mounted oneXtensionsBO perinitted and independently'of'tlie basing i. In practice, upward or downwardino-v'e- :which are formed "integral `vvitlrlandy extend ,inwardlyA from` the rim One'v anni ,o feaclr'KVV pair iis orm`ed integral with azring'jGr 'or v`and these rings i are disposed 'atj foppo'sit'e sides ofthe leasing K as shown Figs: and -Sf and-inl such manner as v 'rnov'eineiit'thereon'.'y 4 p x, 1" Y In the operation of the wheel," it` isftolfbe 'understood that the yhub Hreoeives the aXle ',,f'thlefvehiolegland byivirtue ofitheopening's land the bolts 17; a lin'ii'tedfdegreeof niov'ejV jine'nt'of the discs'D'and Df and the rinilltis movement oteitlier set otfafrmsis lopposed by the air and springs acting` upon `-the'pis'- tons 22 but only yieldiiigly so as to effec-v tively absorb the shocks transmitted rto the y 'and' mounted for oscillatory movement, cam

rim and thereby preventing the transmission of such shocks to the liubxH and conse--.

quently the aXle of the vehicle. It is t be understood that the shock-absoibing1`-properties ot the wheel can be increased or decreased at will byv'ar'ing` the pressure of y air within the casing l thus accommodating the wheel to heavy or light service as the case may be.- j

@In'Figs 4 and 5, I'liaveshown a modified form Ao'ffpiston and eylinderunit in which an expandible tube 3l is interposed between the pistons 22 and normally inflated bythe air from the casing K through a tube`32 arranged within the duct Thecy'liii'ders iir-thepresent instance are formed of two sections f provided with flanges vthrough which screws 34 or other 'suitable fastening *i vmembers extend tor securing the secti'onsin cylinder formation, and thus facilitating the substitution of new 'tubes 31 should the latter become worn. l

InVFigQ'G, the pistoni andcyliiider unit'is witlioutthe expansible spring y2st,asit is .possible to operate the units solely by the Ypressure oit' aiiacontained inthe cylinders. In Fig. the employment of compressed air is dispensed with'and la spring 24 is used to retard the inward movement of the pistons as will be understood. In thisv embodiment otmy invention thenecessity of providing a .hollow casing K is eliminated.

ton and cylinder funits, Suitable provision l may be made oretfectively .lubricating the by said units..

pistons yto effect their .proper operation.

Although I have herein vshown andl described only one form of. resilient-wheel and various tormsof piston. and cylinder units all embodying myy invention,it;is. to .bennderstoodithatf various-,changes and modifications may be madeherein without depart- ,mgfromrfthe` spirit jotv the invention and the spirit and scope'lo'f the appendedclaims'.

/Vhatclaimiszi' k1; A .resilient Vwheel comprising,k a hub, a rim, a casing movablyisustainedon,:the hub, an annular series otl piston and. cylinder units `between the Vcasing and rim, roll- .ersf carried by therim, and cam farms; sustained onthe casing and engageable. by'said rollersltor actuatingqsaid units whereby radial movement of the rim .is Vcushioned 2.A resilient wheel -comprisinga hub, a riinmovable with 'respect to :the hub, a

hollow casing movably sustained on the hub and'constituting a fluid reservoiran annular seriesof piston andcylinderunits bev-tweenthe easing and said rim,` each, ot said `units comprising a pair of opposed cylinders communicating "'th the interiqr tons movable within the cylinders, rings arranged at opposite'sides of the casing hollow yeasing movablysustainedon thehu'o and constituting a.I fluid1ieservoir,.an. anim-l larseri'es'zot piston "andcylinder-units ,between .the `casing andisaid vrini, each, oi" saidunits comprising a pairfot opposed I cylinders .IcommiinicatingI ,with .the Vinterior-,of

thencasing. 'for receiving fluidtheretromand if pistons;v movable within the cylinders, .cam arms movably4 sustained on thecasing, said arms being arranged,V in pairs andjhaving operative connection with. said pistons, and

rollers carried bythe rim and interposed .f f

between 'each Ypair ofarms. y

4:. A resilient.. wheel v.comprising .ag hub,

a rim movable with respeotto ythe ghubx, `a hollowcasiiig movably sustained on the hub :and constituting avi'luidreservoir, l.an annu? lar series ofpi'ston: anfd cylinder,l units between the casing and said rim, each of said `units. comprising a`V pair .of-opposed cylin- 'derscommunicating with'theinterior of thevr ecasin'g for receiving fluid therefrom, and

pistons .movable within the cylinders, expansiblefsprings interposed between yadja- .cent pistons,` rings arranged atopposite sides ofitlievcasing and mounted for oscilla.,-

tory movement, camy arms fsustained'vfon the rings,"' andfrollers carried by the' rim and 'engageabl'enf witli the arms for l actuating they latter l,upon radial movement offtlielr'im to operate saidfpistons ,against thefaction @fue fluid. if L 1 AA4, "silient ,wheel comprising afhub, a riimlafhollow casing formed oii the" hiib, Vdiscs'.carried by the rimand slidably asso" 'ciated with the asi'ng,fa seriesof piston and ion llio

cylinder unitssustained onjthecasingland linterposedbetween:the latter arid Vsaid rim and between Asaid krdi`svc"sf,`feacli ,of said -units 'includingjla pair of'opposed cylinders hav-l ius ingcoriimunicationwith the interior of` `said casing, pistons within the' cylinders',"1and of ringsrotatably ass'ociated'with the cas'- ingfc'a'm armssforined at intervals ion eacli of the ringsand 1'n` vsuch" 'manner that one operatively A'co-nnectiiiigy lsaid arms with said pistons, and rollers carried by the Arim and actua-tion of f said.. pistons of "the springs jbetween each pairfff pistons'a ypair '6. A resilient Wheel comprising a imb,

a. rim movable with respect to the hub, av

' and vpistons movable Within*v the cylinders,` and means operable by radial movement fof therim for actuating the pistons against .10 the action of the fluid. l

In testimony whereof I haver signed kmy nalne'to this s'pecilication.`

JOSEPH B. RUATTI. 

